globecanvas

I have always sort of hoped this is the case, but I have no idea what the medical consensus is.

mattm

But if you're already an active person not elderly/infirm, does it strengthen bone with any meaningful effect? That's my question.

shovelhd

I don't think it matters much when you splat hard on the pavement. Force is force. No doubt core strength helps overall body health though.

hack

I think it also depends on how you go about your activity. Minimal impact activities like cycling does little for strengthening the bones and as a result increases the potential for fractures in the event of a fall.

Cycling Nutrition with Monique Ryan: How cycling could affect bone density - VeloNews.com

Dunbar

Exactly, although it might give you a little more cushion. It's not gonna save your collar bone or clavicle from breaking. The recommendation to do resistance exercise is to maintain bone desnity as you age. In addition to riding 200+ miles a week I make sure to walk 7-8 miles to maintain the bone density in my legs (since cycling isn't a weight bearing exercise.)

TheKillerPenguin

Doing 2.5ish hrs at mega chillin 170ish w pace; like an idiot I've waited until the rain moved in to get out and ride.

globecanvas

Still in dirty road mode so I hit the trails on the cross bike. I've got a good 8 minute dirt hill, so, 3x8 over/unders, FTP +50/-10 for a minute each, then one more time at FTP+10. Then a 15 minute burn home on the rail trail at low Z4.

Feeling good. Got all muddy. Took a photo of my muddy legs and was going to post it on instagram but then realized, nobody wants to see a photo of muddy muscley old man legs.

TKP, I hope you're not out there in this monsoon!

TMonk

Chronic hamstring tightness gave me a back injury, to which specific lifts (deadlift mainly), cycling and lack of stretching all contributed.

By "lifting" in this context I mean pushups, pullups and dips, so not really lifting at all I guess.

As far as attributing lack of bone injury to having upper body muscle goes, that's just speculation/intuition, and based upon no concrete (pun intended) evidence. As other's have suggested, maybe it doesn't even help at all. I've been finding ways to crash my bike since I was a wee little lad, and there is a definite correlation between what I perceive to be a tough, impact resistant body and upper body lifting. When I crash during periods of little upper body work I feel weak, scrawny and worried, when I crash with more upper body mass I feel tough and robust.

Again, this is based upon sensation alone and could be totally false for all that I know. Regardless, I'm gonna continue what I'm doing and live with the extra 5+ lbs because it makes me feel better about my body and my life.

mike868y

wahhh stop posting about awesome trail rides i still haven't had a chance to start ripping trails on my cross bike.

JohnKScott

Training has been a bit disrupted due to my daughter's Spring AAU travel basketball (first time she had participated at this level and I'm enjoying the heck out of watching her). However I've been trying to get workouts in as best as possible. So far, for the last two weeks it's been 3-4 days in a row on the bike for about an hour concentrating on 5 minute and threshold intervals with a slightly easier (harder tempo) ride between the intervals and an attempt to do some body weight strength work while traveling/watching basketball. I'm hoping that will keep me at least on the level over the next month so I can keep building a bit and maybe throw my helmet into a couple races this Summer. Once school is out I can likely get a little more time in the saddle. Does that sound like a reasonable plan for the time I have?

hubcyclist

2 consecutive days of ~50 miles rides. Pretty fun!

ridethecliche

It's more of a question of impulse/momentum.

Deads, especially romanian deads, increase HS strength and flexibility.

Less bongs more trails.

Learn to jump rope man. Just to get your heart going it might be good to do some yoga or do a bodyweight circuit in addition to the rope.

Lake winnipesaukee is one of my favorite places in the world. A friend's family owns a cottage on an island and I've been a couple of times. Even being there for a night would totally reset me mentally. It's gorgeous.

mike868y

I actually bought a jump rope over the winter, tried to use it twice. realized how much it sucked and never touched it again. Maybe i'll bring it along on the trip.

re lake winni, hit me up if you're ever looking to go up there! i haven't been in so damn long.

SHAMELESS PLUG https://lakewinnipesaukeevacationrental.com/

shovelhd

I can tell you this. It took the doctor 10 minutes to insert my chest tube. He said it was due to my core musculature. I say it was his incompetence. You pick.

TheKillerPenguin

Heh...yes, I was out in that silly thing. Got many strange looks. Then wound up entirely overdressed for the last half of the ride. Now I feel like I want to sleep for like 2 days, but in a good way.

Dunbar

Do you guys tool around in zone 1 after you finish your longer intervals? I get bored and tend to sit at the upper end of zone 2. I have a feeling I might not be going easy enough.

TMonk

If you're doing it right, you should want/need to spin around in zone 1.

spdntrxi

I tend to be in Z1 after a long interval for about 1min.. then go to Z2 for the rest of the resting period.

shovelhd

Sounds fine to me, but you have to define reasonable based on your expectations.

TheKillerPenguin

Rule of thumb is you don't mix intervals and endurance, I default to z1 before/after intervals unless instructed to do otherwise...which has not happened yet.

caloso

I understand the "rest" in RBI and RBS to mean soft pedal, which also means z1. Same for "cool down."

carpediemracing 

Tried to do my 4x8m intervals. Felt terrible on the first one, did only 6.5 min on the second, hung on for 8m on the third, then had to get off the bike 4m into the fourth. Stomach bug and intervals don't mesh well.

On the other hand I saw that my zPower and SRM power were identical when I started so I went for the Green Jersey. 3+ min in, did my best time (7.26 boosted).

I was thinking that with three riders on Zwift simply to annihilate the record it would be a fun mission. Roll around until two have the draft boost and one has the aero boost. Then set up Draft-Draft-Aero, first rider goes at the 300m mark, second rider passes somewhere around the 200m mark, and the Aero boost goes at 100m or less. I have to imagine that the Aero boost guy would be sitting in the 800w range (vs 1100w) so would have a much higher jump than normal. It'd probably be flagged but a video capture of it would be a fun thing.

I'm waiting for someone to overlay Zwift stuff on a real crit. I spend time on my clips but that's a bit much for me.

spectastic

how decide between 4x6, 4x8, 4x10, 10x30, 10x1, etc?

how much rest do you get between the 5+ minute intervals, and what's the length of time before an interval becomes a "tempo?"

globecanvas

The first rider (head of the train) would get no benefit from the draft boost because he's not drafting anyone, he'd rather have the aero boost. The last rider (the sprinter) would probably rather have the draft boost than the aero boost, because he'd have trouble hanging onto the train otherwise.

Also it would be super hard to pull off because each leadout guy is only going for 3 seconds or so. A simple aero-boosted leadout in front of a draft-boosted sprinter might be more workable.

Still, fun to think about

TheKillerPenguin